Developing a Strong Mindset: Miss Texas and Miss United States 2012 Whitney Miller

Meet Whitney Miller. Winner of Miss Texas and Miss United States 2012, Professional wake surfer, fitness model, and practitioner of jiu-jitsu, I am thrilled to have the honor and privilege of sharing her advice on how to live a better life.

Justin Marroquin: What motivates you daily?

Whitney Miller: Definitely my fiery inner drive that forces me to challenge and better myself each day. Being in athletics since age four has given me the discipline and motivation that is necessary for me to continue pushing even if I’m having one of “those days.” I like to look at it sort of like a competition with myself by asking “what can I do today that will make me a little better than yesterday?”

JM: Define success and what it means to you?

WM: Everyone has his or her own definition of success. It seems that most of us are always trying to fall into others definition of the word when we should be focusing on what it truly means to us. With that said, success for me is living a happy, healthy, life while continually challenging and taking the steps to accomplish any goal I have set for myself.

JM: How do you approach accomplishing a goal you have set?

WM: First off, I write it down and put it somewhere visible, perhaps, on the screen saver of my computer or phone background. This is a constant reminder of the decisions I have to make in order to accomplish the goal. I also like to tell key people in my life the ultimate goal because, if you tell the right people, they will always check back in with you. Having other people hold you accountable is important in reaching a goal.

JM: What do you do to handle negativity?

WM: I make a conscious decision to not let it affect me. Mainly to prove to myself that I won’t let other people have control over my happiness or outlook/attitude about life. I’ve honestly had to deal with a bit of negativity towards a recent goal I set for myself which is entering an MMA fight. Unfortunately, more people than I had anticipated don’t understand my decision and have reacted negatively. In this case, all I can do is try to understand where they are coming from and respect them for their own opinion, but I’m not going to let it phase me. I have a goal to accomplish and I need to take the necessary steps to not get my ass beat. Outside of that, I’ve learned that most of the time people only want to unload their negativity on others because they don’t know how to handle it themselves. We are addicted to suffering, as author, Don Miguel Ruiz, would say. These people are dealing with their own inner demons that have nothing to do with me, so why would I give them the power to bring me down?

JM: Offer one piece of advice that you feel people would greatly benefit from?

WM: If something doesn’t work out the way you had expected don’t see it as a failure, you most likely benefited from it in some way. Honestly the most challenging and hurtful experiences of my life are the ones I have learned the most from.